Refrigerator-door fastener



(No Model.)

A. W. BLACK. RBPRIGERATOR DOOR PASTENER.

No. 424,847. PatentedApr. 1. 1890.

'l NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT W. BLACK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

REFRIGERATOR-DOOR` FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 424,847, dated April 1, 1890.

Application filed December 23, 1889. Serial No. 334,784. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT W. BLACK, of the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Door-Fasteners, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to a fastening for the doors of refrigerators, dre., the object being to produce a cheap, simple, and ornamental fastening; and my invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I represents a front elevation of my improved fastening. Fig. II is a horizontal section, taken on line II II, Fig. I. Fig. III is a vertical section taken on line III III, Fig. I. Fig. IV is a vertical section taken on line IV IV, Fig. I. Fig. Vis a section similar to Fig. II, but showing a slight modification.

Referring to the drawings, I represents part of a door-frame, and 2 part of a door of a refrigerator or other receptacle.

5 represents a plate or bracket secured to the frame I, and 6 a plate or bracket secured to the door 2. Projecting in a horizontal direction from the plate 5 is a stem 3, and projecting in a horizontal direction from the plate 6 is a stem e.

7 represents a post projecting upwardly from the outer end of the stem 3, and 8 represents a post projecting upwardly from the outer end of the stem el. The inner face of the post 7 is provided with an inclined face IG, as shown in Fig. III. The outer face of the plate G is provided with an inclined surface I7, as shown in Fig IV.

9 represents a lever provided with a handle portion l0, and pivoted to the frame l by means of a plate 14., which is recessed to receive a head 13 on a stem 12, formed upon the lever 9. (See Fig. II.) The lever 9 is capable of beingjorced into the position shown in Fig. I between the posts 7 and 8 and the plates 5 and G, or raised from that position out of engagement with the posts and plates.

The operation is as follows: To fasten the door, the lever is thrown up into a vertical position, or with its free end away from the door 2., The door is then closed and the lever is thrown over and forced down between the posts Z and S and the plates 5 and 6. As this is done, the lever bears against the inclined surface 1G of the post 7, and also against the incline 17 of the plate 6, the result being that the free end of the lever is forced inward by the incline 16, and in turn the door is forced inwardly by the lever bearing against the incline 17 of the plate 6, and thus the door is forced tightly shut, and it will be observed that the greater the force used in depressing the lever the more tightly will the door be pressed against its seat. To open the door, the lever is raised, and, owing to the inclined surfaces 1G and 17, its movement is freed at `the commencement of the stroke.

A device thus constructed is cheap and durable, may be made quite ornamental, and with it a door may be as tightly closed as may be desired.

lVhile I have shown and described the lever 9 and plate 5 with their other parts as connected to the frame of a door, still it is obvious that these parts might be connected to one of a pair of doors, the other door carrying the plate G and post S. The same or practically the same result would be obtained.

As shown at 2O in Fig. V a plain bevel may be made between the door and doorframe, instead of the form of rabbet shown in Fig. II, and the stem 12 may extend through the door-frame and be provided with a lever 9 on the inside, so that the fastening can be manipulated from the inside.

The invention can in a measure be carried out without the use of the incline I7.

I claim as my inventionl. In a door-fastener, the combination of the plates provided with posts and a pivoted lever, one of said posts having an inclined inner surface and one of said plates having an inclined outer surface, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a door-fastener, the combination of a pivoted lever, two plates, one of which is provided with an incline 17, and posts carried by the plates, one of which is provided with an inclined face 1G, said posts being connected to the plates by means of said stems, and said lever being pivoted by means of a plate 14, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

ALBERT W. BLACK..

In presence ofv WILLIAM M. .DUNBAR,

C. E. CoFrIN.

IOC 

